An Fay on the Blood; in which the Objections to Mr. Hunter's Opinton concerning the blood, are examined and removed. By G. Levifon, M D. 8vo. Davies.

The opinion, alluded to, in the title of this pamphlet, is that of the very ingenious Mr. John Hunter, refpecting the blood's being, what he calls alive an opinion controverted fome time ago by Dr. Hendy, on more mechanical principles than thofe, on which the author advanced it. Dr. Leviton prudently takes a phyfical mean between both. So long fays he, in his preface, as we are not able to display and unfold the true and real nature of things, we fhall always labour under the burden of controverfy in all fpeculative fciences; for the fame effects will arife from caufes feemingly different; and fince we reafon of things by their properties only, with which each obferver will be differently ftruck, fome are apt to take for the effects, what others confider as the causes

"The word life has often put a stop to all reasoning at once, in both fciences, phifiology and pathology; all phænomena are explained rather by a mere word life, than by a chyrnical or mechanical reason: the different fecretions are faid to be owing to the different powers of life which each gland poffeffes, and that structure is entirely out of the queftion, where life refides; though it is very furprifing, that the wife creator fhould have formed each gland differently, when he could make them all alike, and only infufe in each a different kind of life; but may it not be afked, why is the power of generation loft, when there is a defect in either the male or female organs of generation? why did he not make the eye hear, the ear fec?- was not a different structure of the organs themselves neceflary to perform their different functions, which is mechanical, and were not different attractions of the juices in the different glands, neceffary to produce their various properties, which is chymical? life is certainly that quality, by which the very ftructure itself is formed, by which it is fet at work and put into motion, which repairs and fuftains it continually; fo that as foon as life is gone, the ftructure and mechanifmittelt is deftroyed: but this life does nothing of itfelt, without its neceflary tool, mechanifin: it is true, that no mechanism is ever fet in motion, without fome cause of life or its operation; but it is alfo undeniable, that life (as far as we know, never operates without mechanifm. And is it not more confiftent with reafon to fuppofe one power of life diffufed through the whole body, which operates differently in the different parts, ac cording to their structure, than to attribute a different kind of life so each part? We might as well fay, that each motion, in a dif terent direction of the fame mufcie, is produced by a different kind of life; both carry the greateft abfurdity in their face

"It is furpriting, that we always are apt to embrace extremes; thus lately every thing in phyfic was accounted for merely by mechanics, whereas now, according to fome, it is fufficient to know that certain alterations may happen in the body, that certain applisations will remove certain difeafes, &c. without even attemptag

to affign any reason for the different phænomena, forgetting the rule of CELSUS, 66 rationalem quidem puto medicinam effe debere: infirui vero ab evidentibus caufis; obfcuris omnibus, non a cogitatione artifices, fed ab ipfa arte rejectis.”

"The doctrine that the blood is alive, continues this writer, tho' very ancient and largely treated of by the learned Dr. Wilson, in his lecture on its circulation, has never been fo much extended, and fo many phænomena by it explained, as of late by that indefatigable and ingenious phyfiologift, Mr. HUNTER, which has given rife to great controverfy. Dr. HENDY has laboured, in his treatise on glandular fecretion, &c. to refute all the proofs of Mr. HUNTER, and to deftroy the life of the blood, and affigns life and action to the folids only; which doctrine will fully encourage the abuse of the lancet in this metropolis, in the hands of the ignorant: an attempt therefore, to fhew that the blood is alive, and that we lofe, as it were, by the lofs of each ounce of blood, an ounce of life, must be of the greatest utility to the publick, and the following sheets cannot be deemned a mere fpeculation and useless theory."

To this paffage our ellayift has fubjoined a philological, and as fome will probably think it, a far-fetched plea, in illuftration of his argument.

"It is repeatedly explained, Gen. ix. 4. and Lev. xvii. 11. 2. and 14. which I have used as my motto, that the nephen, which fignifies motion and growth, or encreafe, and which is tranflated life, has its feat in the blood, dam, fignifying affimulation, not in the bafar, flesh or fibres; which cannot be confidered as accidental, as will appear from the following demonftration.

The Hebrew has three words expreffive of life, namely, nep bef, ruach and nebem, which I imagine has given rife to the doctrine of the ancients, concerning three different fouls; each of these three words however denotes a different property, refulting from the principle life; the first nepheh exprelles growth and motion, the fecond, ruach, breath, and the third, nebem, breathing: the term chain, which is alfo translated life, is quite different from the three fore-mentioned, in its meaning and ufage, ftanding always by itself, and never ufed in regimen of the others, whereas each of them is often placed in construction with chaim, which proves that by chaim, is not meant the progreffion or refult of life, but the principle, life itfelf, which principle is diffufed through all nature, called by the ancients the anima mundi, and which is the foundation of the other three, expreffing the effects and progreffions, rather than the principle itself; whenever life is attributed to the blood, neither reach nor nefhem is joined with D dam, but always nephejh because the two former ruach and neem, which exprefs breathing and breath, are pregreffions of life, not exifting in the blood, but on the contrary, give the blood its power of life; without breathing, circulation is stopped: accordingly we find in Gen. ii. 7. AHÌ D'N NOW nejhmat chiam, Juflaviique in nares ipfius balitun sia, and then I'M WD) nephejh chia, fic fuctus eft homo anima vi

nephe is the confequence of

vens, fo that the whereas nepheh, denoting growth and motion, are effects of life, confifting in the blood irfelf, and therefore D】 nephijb is always joined with dam blood, as much as to fay,

46

that the

growth and motion of the bafar fibres confift in the 66 dam blood."

On this curious note we fall leave the learned, who can extract more from Hebrew roots than we pretend to, to make their own comment; obferving only that it is with great propriety our author modeftly clofes his pretace with the following paragraph.

"I am far from imagining, that the hints which I here throw out will escape all objection, yet I hope they will not be treated with the feverity of criticiim, but with the generofity of candour, even fhould fome of them be found fallacious; for many true difcoveries have been inveftigated by the means of fome new, even falfe opinions started; and many precious and noble edifices have been raised upon the ruins of others; if that should be my cafe; if this elay -fhould excite men of real knowledge, and who have more opporthnity of purfuing the fubjects, by experiments, with more accuracy than my capacity is able to reach, and then either approve or destroy my conjectures; I fhall, in both cafes; think my labour well paid, and amply rewarded."

The efiay itfelf is divided into fix fections; in the first of which the writer treats of folids, fluids and vapour; which he conceives to be univerfal principles conftantly interchanging their state, and reciprocally converting into each other.- Sect. 2. Treats of the general principle of action and re-action; which he confiders rather in a phyfical than mechanical light; in confequence of which his arguinent refts chiefly upon analogy, and however plaufible, ftops thort of proof. In Sect 3 the author treats of life in general, and its fpecific figns in various bodies; diftinguishing life into three kinds. But for his illuftration of this subject we must refer our readers to the effay it felt.In Sect. 4. he confiders the life of the blood in particular, entering into a detail of the arguments of Dr. Hendy and Mr. Hunter on the fubject.—In the fifth and fixth Sections, our effayift makes fome practical obfervations on phlebotomy and the ftate of the blood in different difeafes, well worthy the notice and attention of the faculty.

We must not omit to advise this writer who appears by his file to be a foreigner, of a flip or two in the ufe of terms: thus he calls the centre of gravity the grave centre, and makes use of fluidity instead of mofture; with fome other inaccuracies, which it may be prudent to correct in a future edition of his performance.

Obedience the best Charter; or Law the only Sunction of Liberty. In a Letter to the Reverend Dr. Price. 8vo. 18. 6d. Richardfon and

Urquhart.

"How very few of the nameless papers (fays this writer) that are every day appearing and difappearing on this fubject, give any new or confiftent ideas about it. The common topics on both fides are re

tailed

tailed, repeated, twifted and tranfmigrated thro' a thoufand forms without the leaft apology; and you may read in this track till the day of your death and conclude jutt much about where you began. Both parties feem determined to catch at every unmanly advantage, to aver boldly, blame indifcriminately, conjecture at random, and decide with temerity. They think they perfuade in proportion as they affume, that audacity is the natural tone of liberty; quibbling, wit; fophiftry, argument; and a rude explotion of trite phrafes, vague furmifes, rath conclutions, invidious epithets, and opprobrious names, fufficient to decide a queftion the moit critical and important that ever engroffed the public attention "

It must be allowed this is too much the state of the cafe, at the fame time, we are forry, it fill remains to be wished that, amidst the candour and moderation, affected by this writer, the Law of Liberty is left ftill worthy of expoition. Not that this advocate for obedience is without argument, but he wants force and will convince hardly any body who is not already ftrongly inclined to be of his own fide the question -The best part of his argument is his argumentum ad bominem, in an apoftrophe to popularity applied to his reverend antagonift: a fpecimen of which we shall prefent to our readers.

"O popularity! what a wild intoxicating thing thou art, and what little finical fantaflic Mimics, Apes, and Puppets, thou haft, ever made, and still are making, of all mankind! We hail thee! as the propitious Genius of Drollery and Merriment, fent in pity by fome kind, fympathifing, facetious Spirit, to trick us out of Melancholy into Good-humour, to quafh the formal fpectres of gravity and grimace that crowd the haunts of humanity, to turn our keenest paffions and purfaits, as fome fmall compenfation for the pain they occa fon, into a fund of ridicule and fun; and in fpite of all the folemn, ferious, and fleepifh faces we put on, to tickle our nofes with thy magic wand till we burft into laughter. Under thy fovereign influence, who would not wish to have their ears delighted with univerfal and voluntary peals of applaufe, to hear their fame and their worth re-echoed from every mouth, to be enrolled among that splendid lift of male and female Patriots, who fuperadd fo much glory and eclat to the prefent memorable reign, to roar aloud Liberty and Law, with Taylors, Tallow-chandlers, Soap-boilers, Chimney-fweepers, Traders, Mechanics, Handicrafts of all kinds, with Dunces, Dotards, and Drunkards, innumerable-In short, to be handed down to pofteri ty as the Saviour of a great Empire, hanging as it was on the verge of damnation, in common with many a very great Rogue, who, what ever Dr. Price might feel on the occafion, like their precious Proge nitor the amiable Nero, could even fiddle with pleafure though Britain were in flames.

this

"You will pardon, Sir, this fally of levity in one, who seriously bears you no ill will,; but who is not a little fhocked to find, that there is not an Apprentice, a Drayman, a Porter, or Shoe-black in Town, who does not quote you for all the extra ant nonfenfe they utter. And you are well enough acquainted with history to be fatisfied that the fuffrage of the people at large, has ever been confidered by the wife and good as a prefumption of a bad cause.

"But

And what

But, O Sir! all this is nothing. You have joined the enemies of your country, in ftabbing her to the heart. Her nakednels you have cruelly expofed, her credit wantonly depreciated, and invited every daring and enterprifing Adverfary to attack her with success. The general diffatisfaction which has been long gathering, and artfully instilled into the minds of a giddy, gaping populace, is now fomented into a phrenzy, threatening and tremendous. And to fpread the treasonable infection throughout the kingdom, large editions of your work are every where difleminating gratis. How mut this appear to thofe who differ from you? Is it a grateful return for your privileges to undermine, in this manner, the very laws that fecure them? Muft not all Europe deteft, their Majefties pity, and pofterity execrate fo foul an attempt on the peace of fociety For this must be the meaning of your book, if it had any meaning at all imaginable pleafure can it afford you, Sir, thus to embroil the very nation that gave you birth, that still gives you life and liberty, and every thing that can render you comfortable and eafy, into one wild and wasteful fcene of madnefs and confufion? On fuppofition now of a civil war raging in the heart of this difmal and distracted country, could you, Sir, reft fatisfied that you had no hand in bringing it a bout That you could not. The ghofts of the flain, the groans of the wounded, the fighs of the fatherlefs, the widows tears, and the dreadful execrations of the wretched, would for ever haunt and upbraid you for the officious part you have acted in plunging them into fo much mifery and woe. Yes, Sir, the mob may halloo you with the fame intemperate foaming fury, they have hallooed many a worthlefs and infamous wretch, with whom I would not rank you in idea; but I will venture to affirm, that this fame whining perfor mance of yours, has done them more real injury, than all your preaching, theories, calculations, ever did, or ever can do them good. You have cut the finews of their industry, by filling their heads with chimeras. You have blafted their felicity by twelling their hearts with fedition. You have fet relations at variance among themfelves, and quafhed the fprings of domeftic tendernefs and com fort. You have founded a very fearful but very falfe alarm, about national credit; and made thoufands, unfortunately difpofed to believe every thing you fay, tremble for their property You have made Heaven a party in your caufe, and, like the rebels you defend. proftituted the facred name of religion, to give fanction and countenance to the fumes of a faction. In one word, you have blown up a flame which for ought I know, may expire only with the extinction of all for which a wife man could wish to live. And is this your regard for the rights of human nature, your philanthropy, your patriotifm your religion? Heavens! What mifguifed and mifchievous things, the beft of men are, under the direction of violent paffions."

With due deference to this writer, however, we think that fometimes the love of popularity will have the fame effect ca perfons poffefied of firononceit as on thofe actuated by violent paffi Which is, or if eder be, the cafe with the reverend author of the Obferrations, we leave thofe, who know him beft, to determine,

ons.